After lower budget in House version, DepEd asks Senate for P147 billion more

DepEd is asking the Senate to restore and expand funding for programs it considers urgent in 2027. Its House allocation is P967.23 billion, below the P976 billion included in the National Expenditure Program. The department’s additional request totals P147.93 billion.

The money would cover several needs. DepEd seeks P16.82 billion more for a 180-day feeding cycle for kindergarten and Grade 1. It also requests P15.63 billion for the ARAL learning-recovery program and P8.18 billion for school safety and security. These programs address nutrition, learning gaps, and protection.

The Senate is preparing its own budget version. Senator Bam Aquino said lawmakers want education spending to reach 4% of gross domestic product. The final amount will depend on Senate action and the later bicameral conference process, where lawmakers reconcile differing budget versions.

The National Expenditure Program, or NEP, is the proposed spending plan submitted for legislative consideration. It shows the executive branch’s recommended allocations before lawmakers debate and amend them. In this case, the NEP included P976 billion for DepEd in 2027.

The General Appropriations Bill, or GAB, is the proposed annual budget after lawmakers deliberate and alter the spending plan. The House version gave DepEd P967.23 billion, which was lower than the NEP amount. The Senate then considers its own version, which can contain different funding levels.

The two chambers must eventually reconcile their versions through a bicameral conference committee. After approval through the legislative process, the reconciled budget becomes the basis for government spending. The article focuses on the proposed versions, not a final enacted budget.

The House version allocates DepEd P967.23 billion. DepEd is asking the Senate for another P147.93 billion. Compared with the House allocation, that request is approximately 15.3%, making it a substantial increase rather than a small adjustment.

If the entire request were added to the House amount, DepEd’s total would rise to about P1.115 trillion. This calculation compares the requested increase with the House allocation; it does not mean lawmakers have approved the additional money. The House amount itself is already below the P976 billion proposed in the NEP.

The scale matters because the extra funding would affect several major programs at once. It could expand school meals, finance ARAL implementation, and strengthen school security. However, the final amount depends on the Senate’s version and the later reconciliation of both chambers’ bills.

The additional money would target programs linked to students’ health, learning, and protection. DepEd wants more funding for school-based feeding, the ARAL learning-recovery program, and school safety and security. These priorities respond to nutrition needs, learning gaps, and concerns about safe schools.

For feeding, DepEd seeks P16.82 billion more for a 180-day cycle for kindergarten and Grade 1. Senators are considering universal feeding from kindergarten through Grade 3, with P30 meals for 200 days, requiring an additional P46.65 billion. ARAL needs P15.63 billion for implementation, while the House provided only P255.6 million for tutors and P94.4 million for management. Safety needs P8.18 billion, compared with P500 million from the House for guards.

These figures are requests or proposals, not final allocations. Senate deliberations and bicameral negotiations will determine which increases survive.

Universal feeding is being considered as both a nutrition measure and a learning intervention. Senators want meals for every child from kindergarten through Grade 3, rather than limiting the expanded cycle to younger pupils. The goal is to support children during early grades, when basic learning is developing.

The proposed setup would provide meals for 200 days at P30 each. DepEd projects that it would require an additional P46.65 billion. DepEd’s current request is narrower: P16.82 billion more would fund at least a 180-day feeding cycle for kindergarten and Grade 1. Senator Bam Aquino linked effective implementation with reducing learning-gap problems.

The article does not provide study results measuring the program’s learning effect. It reports Aquino’s expectation that the gap could be mitigated in three to six years. The Senate is also considering budget scenarios alongside the proposed Expanded National Nutrition Program Act.

The final education budget is shaped by Congress, not DepEd alone. The House has passed or considered one GAB version, while the Senate is preparing its own. A bicameral conference committee must reconcile differences before the budget can move through the remaining approval process. The article does not name a final decision-maker beyond this process.

DepEd identifies needs and requests funding for meals, ARAL, safety, and classrooms. The Department of Budget and Management prepares the proposed NEP and defended the absence of a separate ARAL line item. DPWH reports on classroom construction and handles projects covered by its agreement with DepEd. Senators review, question, and propose higher allocations.

Local governments are not assigned a specific role in the article. The report also does not describe their involvement in these programs. The final results therefore depend on congressional funding decisions, agency implementation, and project execution.

A national education budget sets money aside for specific services and projects. DepEd uses allocations for feeding cycles, tutor compensation, program management, and school safety. Classroom funds can be implemented through agreements involving DepEd and DPWH. These mechanisms connect congressional appropriations to actual services for students.

The article gives several examples. The House provided ARAL funding for external tutors and management, while DepEd seeks money for full implementation. School safety funds could pay for guards, equipment, and training. Under the 2026 budget, DPWH and DepEd had an agreement covering 6,000 classrooms from P21.45 billion.

Approved funds can still fail to produce results when procurement stalls or agencies disagree about available money. DPWH reported failed biddings. Only P1.87 billion covering 533 classrooms had prospective bidders, while P7 billion remained under advertising. ARAL funding was also disputed because DBM and DepEd interpreted budget lines differently.